A Checklist For Speeding Innovation

The new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in seen in October on the UConn Health Center campus.

The new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in seen in October on the UConn Health Center campus. (Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant)

MIKE HYDE

5 keys to speeding up innovation, from Jackson Labs

With an aging population and very expensive medical care, the United States faces a crisis. Health care spending threatens the security and well-being of the nation. In response, health care reformers are striving for the "triple aim." They hope to improve both the quality of care and the health of the public while simultaneously reducing the cost of care.

Connecticut is uniquely positioned to pursue the triple aim. This fact became evident at the Forum on Health Care Innovation, which was held recently in Hartford. Organized by The Jackson Laboratory, UConn and Yale, the forum brought together more than 150 decision makers from across the state and around the nation. Participants included top scientists, insurers, investors, health care providers and other leaders. Their goal: to identify ways to speed the pace of innovation, and to boost the state's bioscience economy in the process.

Several themes emerged from discussions at the forum:

Focus on patients. Meaningful patient engagement is critical to health care reform. Providers should organize themselves around patients' needs, and patients must become more active in managing their own health. Technology and genomics are driving patient demand for more focused care. We need strategies for keeping healthy people healthy, as well as better ways to treat the sick

Big data. Evidence-based decision-making speeds innovation across the health care value chain. Cross-cutting data and better analytics are crucial to better and more affordable care. Data sharing across the different sectors of the health care system is a necessity. Better information makes it possible to create value and to base rewards on quality rather than on historical metrics of activity.

Transparency. Patients need better information on the pricing of medical services, on the quality of care provided to them and on how treatment decisions are made. Providing health care consumers with the tools they need to navigate their health care plans and to access meaningful information will help them make better decisions. These tools are also new products that can be a revenue source.

Innovation in business models. New approaches to R&D are needed. Insurers and health care systems could mine their databases for specific opportunities to improve care and reduce cost. These problems could be presented as potential targets for R&D, thus driving needed innovations. Investors and innovators could canvass insurers and health care systems as to the utility of their innovations early in the development cycle. Several emerging models for delivery were discussed, including retail medicine and technology-enabled access to services.

Overcoming regulatory hurdles. Current regulations can limit innovation. There is a need for a better balance among public safety, public health and economic concerns. New regulatory models could speed the pace of innovation.

The forum made it clear to many that our state is poised to become a national center for health care innovation. Connecticut is home to world-class universities, top-rated research institutes, first-tier hospital systems, leading health insurers, global pharmaceutical and medical device companies, talented entrepreneurs and seasoned investors. Connecticut firms and Connecticut institutions attract creative thinkers who are tackling some of the nation's most daunting health care challenges. What's more, we're a small state where people know each other and know how to collaborate.

In recent years, Connecticut has invested strategically in the infrastructure needed to boost the biomedical economy. These investments include the Bioscience Connecticut project at the UConn Medical Center, The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, the Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund, and the STEM initiative at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

These investments are beginning to pay off. A critical mass of biomedical scientists, medical-based companies and entrepreneurs is building here, and these new arrivals are driving the growth of new enterprises. Most importantly, the various players in the biomedical economy are connecting and coordinating their activities.

Connecticut can be a pioneer in discovering biomedical innovations that keep people healthier and improve patient care while generating very substantial savings in costs. If we harness the intelligence and creativity that already resides in our state, we can achieve the triple aim. In so doing, we can achieve a fourth aim — a stronger economy and good jobs for Connecticut people.

Mike Hyde is vice president for external affairs and strategic partnerships for The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington.